A Child of Destiny
by Riseandriseagain16
Summary: My first attempt at writing fanfiction. This is a short story featuring Link's parents in a take on the war preceding the events of Ocarina of Time. The last stand of a doomed company of soldiers, the sacrifice of a noble knight, and a mother's resolve to save her child. Events that will shape the life of the hero we all know and love. I do not own Legend of Zelda.


A Child of Destiny

The wagon train rolled along at a steady pace as the afternoon sun hung high in the sky, its light glinting off the armor of the column of horseback soldiers. The plain of Hyrule Field stretched out almost endlessly before the party.

Elizabeth sat in one of the rightmost wagons, her husband riding a tall warhorse next to it. She held their newborn child in her arms. The convoy and column of accompanying soldiers were all witness to the chaos that had gripped this land for some time now. Almost a generation ago, the Kingdom of Hyrule had been fractured into warring states. All people knew of the legendary Triforce, the gift passed down by the three Golden Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore at the moment of creation. While most people saw this as a sign of love from the divines, others saw it only as a source of power. Elizabeth had grown up hearing the tales of the goddesses and how they had descended to create this beautiful land from chaos, and how man could even dream of polluting their gift for personal gain, that idea was unthinkable to her.

Someone had however. They did not just think of it, they had tried to harness that power for their own use. Now the land was paying the price for their blasphemy. She looked from the child in her arms to her husband on the horse next to her wagon, and fought back the tears again. All she wanted was a place for them all to live in peace. When the war began, a young noble named Lord Richard had rallied the fight for freedom and defense, standing against the Interlopers, as they called themselves. Richard had united the free peoples of Hyrule, the humans, the Gorons of the mountains, and the Zora's of Hyrule's waterways to stand against the blasphemers. Battle lines had been drawn. Many power hungry humans had joined the interlopers and their tribe against their brothers in Hyrule. The Interlopers themselves were adept at dark magic, and had summoned all manner of monsters to their aid. Thomas, her husband, had readily joined Richards cause to fight for freedom and she could not be more proud of him. However, the war had cost them their home. They were in a caravan of refugees.

As the sun began to set, the company began to reach the fringes of the Lost Woods. Thomas's commanding officer had chosen this rout since no servant of the Interlopers would dare to enter the Lost Woods. No one would. Everyone knew that those who ventured into its dark depths never returned. They could count on safety from at least one direction.

Commander Ayrim called a halt and gave the order to set up camp. Thomas dismounted and began to pitch the small tent that he and Elizabeth shared. He smiled at her and gave their baby a kiss on the forhead.

"We will be with Richard's main force before long. Then we will be safe." He said with a smile. She returned his smile.

"I know." He took her in his arms and held her for a moment.

"This war will not last forever. We will build a peaceful world for our son to grow up in. I promise." She slightly pulled away and kissed him.

"You are a courageous knight, my love." She smiled. "I can see the same fire in our son's eyes."

"Sentries post up!" Ayrim commanded. "I will not have those bastards take us by surprise tonight!" While Thomas went about his duties, Elizabeth fed her baby. No matter what, her child would live through this. Even if it cost her very life that ran through her, she would protect him.

Several cook fires were lit and once dinner was finished, these became camp fires that provided some cheer in the dark times. Several men produced flutes and fiddles and many women began to sing. Dancing began before too long. It bolstered Elizabeth's spirits to no end that these men could find cheer in all the fighting, killing and death they had seen over the last few years.

As the merriment continued, it was cut short by a sharp blast of a sentry's horn. Two blasts, they were under attack! Cheer became cold efficiency as men grabbed weapons that were never far from hand.

"Elizabeth! Get to the wagon! Now!" yelled Thomas, drawing his sword off his back. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into a kiss.

"Please be careful!" She desperatly emplored.

"I will. I love you." He responded, and then joined the rush of soldiers toward the sound of battle.

Arrows flew through the night air, cutting men down all around him. Thomas gripped his sword in both hands and searched the night for the presence of the enemy. A boar faced moblin rushed out of the dark and attempted to gut him with a long pike, but Thomas was too quick. He sidestepped and took the brute's head off with a swing of his hand and a half sword. Humans in dark armor poured into the camp, weapons held high. The two groups of armed men clashed in the dark and the killing began. Thomas saw a comrade of his take a spear to the heart, while another bisected a lizalfos with a large axe. He heard the shrill battle cries of the reptilian dinalfos and lifted his sword to block its strike. He gripped his sword in both hands and swung at the creatures hips. When the monster's sword caught his blade in a downward block, he rolled his blade up the monster's sword and took its head off.

"You will not have my son!" he growled at the dead foe. It was clear that the sheer force of numbers would overwhelm the encampment before help could arrive. Thomas faced four more humans who thought they could overwhelm him together. Then his blood ran cold as he saw why they could not win this fight. At least ten skeletal stalfos knights charged into the men and cut a bloody path through them. They were followed by six heavily armed, axe wielding terrors. The men had taken to calling these killing machines iron knuckles. Wherever they swung their heavy axes, people died. He saw Ayrim charge to challenge the lead stalfos.

"Commander!" he yelled.

"Get the hell out of here, Thomas!" Bellowed the commander. He raised his long sword and kite shield to face his foe. Their swords and shields clashed several times before Ayrim decapitated the undead warrior. Five more surrounded him, and he knew the commander could not face them alone. Thomas raised his sword and drove it through a stalfos's spine.

"We face them together, sir!" They managed to take the three down, but suffered many deep wounds. The remaining four stalfos surrounded them, led by two iron knuckles. Many men attempted to reach them and help, but the influx of enemy soldiers prevented any aid from reaching them. Thomas blocked two jagged swords with his sword and struck his blade off of the enemies' shields in retaliation. The two skeletons backed off and made room for an iron knuckle to engage him. Thomas sidestepped and back stepped away from the brute's heavy axe, knowing his sword would not stand up to in. He managed to score several hits and pieces of its armor were falling from its body. Enraged by the injuries, the iron knuckle charged at him wildly swinging its axe.

The first thing Thomas had learned as a swordsman is that an angry foe is a stupid one. He waited until the brute's axe swung over his head, and then ran the monster through the chest. Commander Ayrim was not as lucky. Two armored foes had engaged him along with two lizalfos, and he had taken many cuts from their swords. Thomas rushed to help him, but was blocked by two stalfos. He began to square off with them, but his attention was ripped away from his fight when Commander Ayrim, occupied by fending off the reptilian warrior's swords, took the heavy axe from an iron knuckle right between his shoulders.

"Commander!" he screamed. The brief distraction was all it took. He felt the blade of a stalfos run him through the torso.

"Elizabeth…" he whispered as his body went numb with shock.

Elizabeth ran through the chaos of the camp with her child in her arms.

"Thomas!" She screamed again and again. Wagons burned around her, horses ran loose and people were running everywhere. All organization had collapsed as the enemy overran the soldiers protecting the camp. As she ran, she suddenly felt a sharp pain slam into her back, knocking her off her feet. She turned to fall on her shoulder just in time to save her baby the impact. Behind her she could hear the laughter of the man who had shot her. She turned and saw him reloading his crossbow.

"Shouldn't we keep her alive?" Asked one of his companions.

"No. There are plenty more women." He said as he walked to her and pointed his crossbow right at her chest, right at her child.

"Let's see if I can pin them together." He said with a malicious sneer. He never got the chance to fire, however, as a blade erupted from his chest.

"Leave my wife and son alone you sadistic piece of shit!" said Thomas. He had a bleeding wound through his torso and looked half dead, no less formidable however. He quickly killed the crossbowman's friends in a short struggle. Finally overcome with exertion he dropped to his knees.

"Go, Elizabeth. The forest. Only…safe…place." He struggled to force his words out. She crawled to him and held his head in her arms, ignoring the chaos and death around them.

"Thomas…" She said through tears.

"Go. The forest…Save our son….I love you, Elizabeth." He said as his life left him.

"I love you too." She said as he passed. Ignoring the pain of her wound, she took her child in her arms and ran. She ran from the sound of battle and into the dark woods. Soon the trees were thick around her.

The sound of battle faded away into the chorus of night as a thick fog obscured her vision. Soon exhausted from blood loss, she collapsed. When she looked up, what appeared to be a child stood over her collapsed form. Without saying a word, the child signaled to other children and they lifted her and her child and carried her through the woods. Either she was too tired to put up a fight, or she knew they meant her and her baby no harm, she could not tell. She lost consciousness briefly, and when she came to, she was in a large meadow. The central feature of this meadow was a large tree. A tree with what appeared to be a face.

"Greetings, Elizabeth. I am the Great Deku Tree." It spoke. Her breath caught in her throat. The Great Deku Tree was supposed to be only a myth.

"Please…My child." She gasped.

"Thou has entered these sacred woods in search of a haven for thy child. This forest is forbidden from outsiders, however, the threads of destiny resonate strongly in this boy. His life will alter the course of history when his time comes." The forest spirit responded.

"Will you help him?" she asked.

"Saria." Spoke the tree. The child who had first encountered her approached. She reached out gently and took the baby in her arms.

"Thou child will be raised as a Kokiri. Fear not. He will be safe from the evils of the war here." The tree said gently.

"Thank you." Elizabeth said, closing her eyes.

"I will watch over him. I promise." Said the child called Saria. "What is his name?"

"Link." Said Elizabeth. "His name is Link." Knowing her child was safe, Elizabeth thought of Thomas and drifted away from this life.

"I will see you soon, my love." She closed her eyes and passed into the void.


End file.
